Conkouati-Douli National Park

Conkouati-Douli National Park

Situated in the southwest of Congo, on the Atlantic coast, the Conkouati-Douli National Park is Congo’s most biodiverse park. Conkouati shares its northern border with Mayumba National Park (MNP) in Gabon, together forming the Mayumba-Conkouati Transfrontier Park. The borders of the protected area extend from the depths of the Atlantic Ocean, through beach and coastal habitat, lagoons and mangroves, savannah and wetlands to the mountainous zones of the Mayombian forest and the Niari savannah. The area’s broad spectrum of habitats is consequently home to an extraordinarily diverse range of fauna, with marine species such as manatees, turtles, dolphins and whales, and many threatened terrestrial species, including forest elephants, gorillas, chimpanzees, mandrills and forest buffalo. Thirty-five percent of Congo’s coastline lies within Conkouati, providing one of the most important nesting sites in Africa for five integrally protected marine turtle species, particularly Leatherback (Dermatochelys coriaceae) and Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys olivaceae) turtles.